Ignition apparatus for hydrocarbon-engines.



I M. TIBBETTS v I IGNITION APPARATUS POBLHYDROGARBON ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17. 1W8.-

1,023,180 Patented Apr. 16,1912. I

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-- mva wto'a M, TIBBBTTS. IGNITION APPARATUS FOR HYDROOABBON ENGINES.APPLICATION FILED APR.1'I. 1908.

1,023,180; Patented Apr. 1 6, 1 912.

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MILTON TIBBETTS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNO-R, ZBY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO

Specification of Letters Patent.

OAR COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, .A CORPORATION OF VIGNITIONAPPARATUSnon. HYDROCARBON-ENGINES.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912,

hpplic'ation filed April 17, 1908. Serial No. 427,634.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, MILTON TIBBETTS, a

-high'te'nsion wires and knife switches on insulating posts on theengine cylinders, means for making connection between the wires andswitches for the spark plugs and adjustable means for alimng the knifeswitches and 'spark plugs. Its objects are to simplify the constructionand improve I Fig. 5

the appearance and operation of the ignition device, thereby producingan ignition system in. which the parts may be quickly and easilyassembled and adjusted to proper operative posit-ion In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of two-ad-' jacentengines having the preferred form of my invention applied thereto; Fig.2 is an elevation taken at right angles to that of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is aperspective view of one of the insulating posts carrying a wire terminaland a knife switch; Fi Lisa plan view of a modified form of t einvention; is a side elevation of what is shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is aperspective view of an adjustable contact piece for the spark plug; Fig:7 is a side view of the spark plug having the contact piece secured inpositlon thereon; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form ofcontact piece.

In Fig. 1, I have shown my system applied to two two-cylinder enginesmounted sideby-side. casting, the cylinders 1 and 2 being surrounded bythe water jackets 3 and 4. Each water jacket has an outlet connectingwith the outlet pipe 5 which may be made flexible, and which is mountedat an inclination above the tops of the engine cylinders, as is usual inmotor cars.

Each engine cylinder is provided with an opening in the inlet in whichis mounted a spark plug, the casings of these plugs being lettered inthe drawlngs as 7, 8, and 10. ,Adjacent the plugs are the insulatingposts 11, 12,13 and 14 which carry the high ten- Each engine is made ofa single sion wires which supply current to the spark plugs, and alsocarry the two wires leading to the transformer. These .insulating postsare secured in placeon top of the cylinder by means of bolts passingthrough the lug 15 on the top of the cylinder casing (see Fig. 3').'As'show-n in Fig. 1 there are six wires leading to the osts 11, one ofthe top wires 16, 17 being intended to carry the low tension current tothe transformer coil, and the other being intended. to carry the hightension current from-the distributer of the magneto to the secondary-wire of the transformer coil. lTherefore these two wires pass'entirelyacross the top of the engine cylinders and to the transformer. The fourlower wires 18, 19, .20" and 21 carry the high tension current for the.four spark. plugs, one wire'ter'mlnating at each insulating post.

It will'be noted that the wires are arranged at an inclinationsubstantially the same as that of the water outlet pipe 5, and-that thelowest wire is the one which terminates at any post and makes 7connection with the knife switch of the spark plug. This inclinedarrangement of the wires and the connection of the lowest wire with theswitch makes a construction having distinct advantages over those incommon use where the top wire is the one connected with the spark plug,It improves the appearance of the device and enables the connection withthe knife switch to be made at a lower point. j

It will be understood that the high tension wires are insulated and aremade up of small wires in the form of a cable and it has been customaryto bend the wire which is to terminate at a particular post so as tomake connection with the knife switch mounted on that post. In order toavoid this and to make a simpler and more eflective terminal connectionwith the knife switch I have devised 'the structure shown clearly inFig. 3. As here shown, the knife switch 22 is piv-.

ot-ally secured in the cars 23 on the bracket the screw 26, and it willbe understood that 1 to make electrical contact between the wire cableand this terminal thimble the wires in the cable are bent back over theinsulation before the end is inserted in the thimble, and the screw 26makes contact with the wires at the center of the cable, thus makinggood electrical contact between the high tension wire and the thimble.-The thimble is pro-- vided with the conducting arm 27 which has anopening through which the pivot pin 28 of the kni e switchpasses. Athumb nut 29 secures this arm against one of the ears on bracket 24 andthus electrical connection'is made between the high tension wire and theswitch arm 22. It will be noted that the switch arm 2 2 ma be bentupwardly "as shown in Fig. 3w en this is necessary to properly reach thespark'plug.

The' knife switches being mounted as above. described opposite thesparkplugs are intended to be brought down against the contact pointsof thespark plug, but it has been found in practice. that the parts are notalways properly alined so that the knife switches will fit easily uponthe c'ontactpoint without bending. 'To bend the switch not "onlydisfigures it, but impairs its efiiciency. In order to avoid thesedefects and to insure the proper alinement of the switch and contactpiece I have devised-the adjustablecontact piece which is most clearlyshown in Figs. 6, 7 and '8. This contact pieceembodies a main uprightportion 30 having a base 31 in theshape of a washer which fits over theupper end of the screw threaded part 32 which in turn makes contact withthe electrode of the spark plug.- The thumb nut 33 on the part 32 bindsthe base 31 to the upper part of the spark plug-casing,

-mounted in the way heretoforein common is claimed is: 1

and thus makes electrical connection be tween the contact piece and theelectrode of the spark plug. On the upper end of the contact piece isthe .cylindrical head 34 which is adapted to fit between the .two

blades of the knife switch, and it will be observed that thiscylindrical head is. mounted on the contact piece not in line with thepoint of pivotal support on the part 32,

ut eccentrically. It is thus apparent that the head 34 may be moved fromone side to use as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Having thus described the invention, what 1. In an ignition system forhydrocarbon engines, the combination with the engine cylinders, of sparkplugs thereon, high tension conducting wires-supported above one anotherin an upwardly extending plane adjacent said plugs, each wire beinginclined downwardly, switches for making contact with the sparkplugs,and means for connectpost for connecting the lowest wire with thecorresponding-switch. i

3. In an ignition system for hydrocarbon engines, the combination withthe engine cylinders, of spark plugs thereon having contact points,insulating posts on said cylinders adjacent said plugs, knife switchesmounted on said posts in a positionto make contact with the spark plugs,high'tension wires carriedby said posts and extending d i agonally,downward above one another, and means for connecting the terminal of thelowest wire at each post with the knife switch of that post. I

4. In an ignition system for hydrocarbon engines, the combination withthe engine cylinders, of spark plugs thereon, insulating postson saidcylinders adjacent said plugs provided with means for supporting wiresone above theother, knife switches pivotally secured to said postsadjacent the lowest wire supporting means, and adapted to make contactwith the corresponding spark plugs, and a wire terminal on each post forthe lowest wire electrically connected to the knife switch 'on thatpost.

' 5 In an ignition system for hydrocarbon engines, the combination withthe engine cylinders, of spark plugs thereon, insulating posts on saidcylinders adjacent said plugs provided with means for supporting wiresone above the other, secured to said posts'adjacent the lowest knifeswitches pivotally wire supporting means and adapted to make contactwith the corresponding, spark, plugs, a thimble-shaped conductingterminal for the end of the lowest wire'on each post, and a conductingarm connecting said terminal with the switch on'that post.

6. In an ignition system for hydrocarbon engines, the combination withthe engine cylinders, of sp plugs thereon, insulating v posts onsaidcylinders adjacent said plugs provided with means for supportingwires one above the other, knife switches pivotally secured to saidposts adjacent the lowest wire supporting means and adapted to makecontact with the corresponding spark plugs,

a thimble-shaped conducting terminal for the end of the lowest wire oneach post, a conducting arm rigidly Secured to said terminal having aneye adapted to fit over the pivot pin of the knife switch, and a thumbnut,for clamping said arm in place on the pivot pin.

7 In an ignition system for hydrocarbon engines, the combination withthe engine cylinders, of spark plugs thereon having contact points,insulating posts on said cylinders adjacentsaid plugs, knifeswitchesmounted in said posts in a position to make contact with the sparkplugs, high tension wires carried by said posts and extending diagonallydownward, means for connecting the terminal of the lowest wire at eachpost with the knife switch of that post, and means for adjusting thecontact point of the spark plug into proper alinement with the knifeswitch.

8. In a device of the class described, thecombination with a post havinga hole therethrough for supporting a conducting cable, of a thimbleshaped conducting terminal adapted to fit over the end of said hole, abracket secured to said post adjacent said hole having 'projectlng ears,a knife switch secured is said bracket by a pivot pin pass-' ing throughsaid ears, a conducting arm rig-.

idly secured to said terminal having an opening fitting over the end ofthe pivot pin, and a thumb nut for securing said arm on the pin.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination with apivotedknife switch, of a spark plug adjacent thereto having a contactpoint adapted to be engaged by the switch, and means for adjusting saidcontact point laterally on said plug into alinement with the switch.

10. In a device of the class described, the v combination with a knifeswitch, of a pivotal support therefor permitting it to move 1n-a singleplane, a fixed spark plug adjacent thereto having a contact pointadapted to be engaged by the switch, and means for adjusting saidcontact point laterally on said plug into alinement with the switch.

11. In a device of the classdescribed, the combination with a pivotedknife switch, of a spark plug adjacent thereto, a contact memberpivotally mounted on said plug substantially in line with the knifeswitch, and

a contact point on said member eccentric to the pivotal point of supportand adapted to be brought into alinement with said switch, forengagementtherewith, by rotationof said member on its pivotal support. I

12. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pivotedknife switch, of a spark plug adjacent thereto, a screw threadedextension of the electrode of said plug, a contact member having anopening L. C. TENNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Gomxiaissionerof Patents, Washington, D. G.

